During the Senate hearing on anomalous activities in the flood control projects, Senator Bato Dela Rosa called for the issuance of subpoenas against eight flood control contractors for not appearing at the legislative inquiry on August 19.
The request for a subpoena was carried after the Chairperson and Senator Rodante Marcoleta raised the motion, to which the committees posed no objection.
A similar motion was also put forward by Senator Jinggoy Estrada during his opening statement, which received support from Senator Win Gatchalian.
He stressed that the owners and presidents of the companies must face the Senate.
According to Director General Rodolfo Noel Quimbo, invitations were sent as early as August 15 (Friday).
Eleven of the 15 contractors replied, and only seven of them appeared and were represented in the hearing.
Those who failed to attend the inquiry were Sarah Discaya of Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corporation, one of the five companies that have flood control projects in almost all regions nationwide.
Discaya sent an excuse letter stating she has a prior commitment.
Also a no-show was the company linked to her, St. Timothy Construction Corporation, led by Maria Angeline Discaya-Rimando.
According to Quimbo, Rimando could not attend following the death of her foster parent.
Eumir Villanueva, president of Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc., likewise did not appear due to his scheduled medical procedure at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center.
Aderma Alcazar, CEO and President of Sunwest, Inc., said she was on scheduled leave to attend a family matter abroad.
In her letter, Alcazar stated that she fled the country on August 13 and would not be able to return in time for the inquiry.
Luisito Tiqui of L.R. Tiqui Builders, Inc., also skipped the hearing due to health reasons.
Tiqui added that they couldn't complete each review of the possible projects and designate a representative, since they only received the invitation in the late afternoon of August 18.
Meanwhile, the remaining firms, Hi-Tone Construction and Development Inc., Royal Crown Monarch Construction and Supplies Corporation, and Wawao Builders Corporation, did not respond to the invitation sent by the Senate.
This no-show of the majority frustrates the committees. Marcoleta hoped the 8 contractors would not take their absence as a sign of “disinterest” in the case, stressing that the meeting was called precisely to dive into the root cause of this alarming issue.
On the other hand, Senator Erwin Tulfo requested the Senate to seek more reasonable answers from the contractors, arguing that the given excuses earlier only ridiculed the committee.
“[They] have to come up with reasonable answer. Hindi ho yung may sakit, may nauna, na para pong ginagago itong committee natin na may sakit, nag bakasyon na, may mga prior schedule,” he asserted.
Tulfo further questioned whether prior commitments and vacations were more significant than the flood control investigation.
“P544 billion ang pinag-uusapan natin, not a small change, Mr. Chair,” Tulfo added.
The Office of the President revealed on August 11 that 18% of the P849 billion budget for flood control projects between July 2022 to May 2025 was awarded to only 15 out of 2,409 accredited contractors in the country, posing serious irregularities.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee kicked off its investigation into the controversial flood
